Tiger Woods spurns pals, do fellow golfers want him back?

Although sports media is quick to report splits between Tiger Woods and caddie, former swing coaches, management and friends, PGA Tour and European Tour golfers have been standing together to welcome the former number-one golfer back onto the fairway.

PGA Champion, Martin Kaymer said it best, "We need him, we really need him. He's the best player who ever played that game."

Darren Clarke, winner of the 2011 Open Championship and paired with Tiger Woods for the first round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, commented, "Tiger Woods could be a hard man to beat because of his record around this golf course. He loves it so much and has played so well here before. I wouldn't be surprised to see him have a really, really good week."

But Rory McIlroy, fresh off his latest twitter escapade involving golf writer Jay Townshend, appeared a bit ambiguous and on-the-fence about his true feelings regarding Tiger Woods taking center stage, "It’d be maybe a little intimidating if you knew for sure if [Woods] was going to play the way he did in 2000, 2001, but no one knows that."



With Tiger Woods' return to golf this week, internet sports have been abuzz with sorrowful tales of short-lasting unions between sports celebrities...sniff...

Could it be that Tiger Woods really wasn't great friends with sports legends like Charles Barkley and Roger Federer, or even really tight with caddie Steve Williams? As outsiders, fans tend to receive snippets of information as if we were playing "Telephone", an old game where a sentence is whispered to many, one-by-one, and is spewed out differently than it started. The media also enjoys photo-ops and creating buzz around sports superstars, so hanging out at a club "gambling and partying" could easily have been misconstrued.

A true friend, Charles, does not change his cell phone number without sharing it with you...as Barkley continued, "I’ve been trying to get to him and can’t get to him,” he said. “It’s very frustrating.” ..hint, hint

Convenience has a way of playing a role in many people's lives. Roger Federer, for example, was number-one in the world of tennis, Woods was the top golfer in the world; so easy to create a relationship built on similarities. With both Woods and Federer slipping from their respective perches, their friendship might have ended along with the "back-patting." This would explain the ease and apparent readiness in which Woods separated himself from his former "pack".

With Tiger Woods clearing his head and life of distractions, it is only a matter of time before the former champion shows signs of greatness. Champions are made, not born.

As the great golfer Sam Snead once said, "The mark of a great player is in his ability to come back. The great champions have all come back from defeat."



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Without Tiger Woods can American golfers rally at The Open?

The latest headlines read, "Tiger Woods out of AT&T National". Notah Begay has postponed his charity event until the former number one recovers and is now suggesting that Woods may also step away from the British Open. Although American PGA Tour golfers, without Tiger Woods in the field, are winning their share of weekly events, they have handed over the last five majors to European Tour golfers, leaving American "grinders" shaking their heads in disbelief.

PGA Tour golfers like Nick Watney are fed up and tired with their sub-par level of play, saying that it's time for Americans "to step up.”

Scott Verplank, being "very honest and very American" plainly stated, "It’s just that Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and those guys are playing better than us.”

Even Steve Stricker is disappointed with his inability to win majors, stating after the 2011 U.S. Open, "These major championships are kind of new to me. I’m going in with kind of low expectations." 

With Stricker (etal) not expecting to mount much of a contest, he surely won't.

Without Tiger Woods in the field challenging the level of play, the PGA Tour is undergoing major restructuring, stating on their website, "nearly one-third of 2011 TOUR winners are first-timers."

Has the lack of one popular (almost super-human) golfer, the level of play and the sport itself been depleted as Ed Berliner states, "falling in popularity behind billiards, MMA, and the Wii version of "Duke Nukem: Guns & Gusto at Augusta”? If so, are Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy the only golfers who can save it?

Fans need a hero who can delight and excite the crowd...and they want to cheer on a "likeable guy".

Being "very American" myself, allow me to mention two players who have made waves in golf this weekend.

Nineteen-year-old Patrick Cantlay took low amateur honors at the 2011 U.S. Open and shot a course record of 60 during the Travelers Championship, the lowest round ever for an amateur on the PGA Tour. He's young, collegiate and the future of the sport.

Nationwide Tour golfer Eric Compton, has overcome two heart transplants to win this week's Mexico Open. Enough said, as this golfer already has the fans "hearts."

The Americans are out there grinding (even if a Swede did win this week), as a group they just have to band together, raise their collective expectations, step out of the shadow of Tiger Woods and prove their mettle. New faces are constantly emerging: whether it be from the PGA Tour or European Tour, one golfer will eventually come forward to take over where Tiger Woods left off: it has happened before, it will happen again.

Having said that, golf is becoming more of a global sport with each event won on either side of the pond. Many European Tour golfers have studied/bought property, played golf in the U.S.A. and conversely, PGA Tour players like Mickelson have shown up to play in events such as the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship. Fans should cheer their favorite player (as they did with Tiger Woods) and not where he or she heralds from in order to get the most out of the game.

But, since fans still 'root for the home team', will an American PGA Tour golfer playing in The Open capture the Claret Jug and end the drought? If so, will his name be quoted in numerous articles as the next Tiger Woods?


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Rory McIlroy, a Chandler-Slam and other hot 2011 U.S. Open golf topics

Surely the hottest buzz during the 2011 U.S. Open was in response to Rory McIlroy's tremendous golf game but there were other side stories that kept the media, and fans, humming. Here are a few memories from the 111th U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club.


1. A Chandler-Slam?  Rory McIlroy's stupendous comeback after a misstep at the Masters to become one of the youngest U.S. Open champions set the stage for a possible 2011 Chandler-Slam. Andrew "Chubby" Chandler's stable of top-notch golfers has given him a few major wins including last year's Open winner Louis Oosthuizen and 2011 Master's Champion Charl Schwartzel. Could Lee Westwood grab this year's "British Open" or will McIlroy's confidence carry him through the rest of the season?


2. The next Tiger Woods?  McIlroy will have to win quite a few more tournaments to be placed in the same league as Woods, but leave it to the media to make comparisons to get fans' juices flowing. In majors it's still Tiger Woods-14, Rory McIlroy-1.

McIlroy perfecting the Tiger Woods fist pump

3. If Tiger Woods makes a comeback, can he compete against a younger group of golfers?

Tiger Woods' physical (and mental) issues could prevent a comeback. His body is not recuperating as easily as when he was Rory's age. The youth, talent and mental strength of McIlroy may have the Tiger by his tail.


4. European Tour and Asian Tour globalize the U.S. Open. During the U.S. Open, there were questions as to whether or not an American would finish in the top-ten; if not, it would have been the first time since the early 1900's that an American could not rise to the occasion. During his reign, was Tiger Woods so overpowering as to leave a gap in the strength of the PGA Tour? European/Asian Tour players did not have the same distraction week after week.



5. Fashion sense (?) Bubba Watson's camoflage pants ; you either loved them or hated them but either way, fans had something to say about them. Come to think about it, pink pants were stylishly worn by Ryo Ishikawa but similar threads donned by Davis Love III didn't go over well, especially by a man who rides a custom chopper.


Finally, during the NBC opening sequence of the final round of the U.S. Open, a few words were noticeably left out of the Pledge of Allegiance. Although hosts apologized for the "under G-d" mis-hap, it was an unfortunate bloop (?) to make but still not as bad as Christina Aguillera's rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner."


Photo Credit: Washington Post, Huffington Post, Blog.Syracuse.com

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PGA Tour vs European Tour...Golf Smackdown?

The European Tour continues to grow in popularity and this week is no exception as six of the top ten golfers in the official world rankings embrace the WGC HSBC Abu Dhabi Golf Championship as the competitive "tournament of choice".

Mickelson used to enjoy playing his season-opener at the Bob Hope Classic but is it just the stress of a five-day event that has Phil fleeing or is it the allure of $1 million that is tempting Lefty to visit Abu Dhabi?

In order to entice more PGA Tour golfers to play across the pond, spiffs are an integral part of the deal for notables like Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods, who will reportedly receive $3 million to show up in Dubai next month.

The diverse environment also interests Mickelson. "It has been great for me and my family to experience a lot of different cultures and learn from them."

U.S. golfers who add European Tour events to their schedule are being given a royal welcome by their hosts and appearance fees. The grueling PGA Tour schedule with "rigid rules", as mentioned by world's number-one golfer Lee Westwood, also requires play in fifteen events as opposed to thirteen...and the PGA Tour does not offer appearance fees. So, why fly the friendly skies?

Westwood, who gave up his PGA Tour membership, has snubbed in protest various events like the FedEx Cup and most recently, the Players Cup. Other Euro Tour golfers like Rory McIlroy have joined Westwood in his quest to remain Euro-centric and possibly to enhance the importance of their Tour.

In the picture below, newly named 2012 Ryder Cup Captain Jose Maria Olazabal is at the helm of the Abu Dhabi Ocean racing entry with possible picks. Is that Phil Mickelson readying to play for "Team Europe"? Quick Davis, offer an appearance fee...

 
credit


I mentioned a few weeks ago that it would be a good idea for the PGA and Euro Tour to mediate in order to give opportunities for the golfers to play either venue.

Westwood's manager, Chubby Chandler pointed out, "There are too many people in power thinking only about their own interests rather than what's good for the game. It does my head in to think the world No 1 in his sport can't play in a tournament he wants to play in, and which the sponsor wants him to play in."

"The Players is a big PGA Tour event – but that's all it is."

To put it in Rory McIlroy's words, "The PGA Tour won’t miss me, because no one player is bigger than the tour.”


I think a Smackdown is on the horizon. Does 'The Rock' play golf?


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2011 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship Holes 13-18 with Rory McIlroy, Martin, Mazo and more!

Abu Dhabi Golf Course

 Q: How do you make one of the best tournaments on the European Tour schedule even better?

A: Lengthen the course, toughen up the bunkering and bring in one of most innovative sponsors in golf.

Tim Maitland sat down with some of the world’s top players to work out how to plot your way to success at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.

A great event is just about to get better. The Abu Dhabi Golf Championship and the Abu Dhabi Golf Club have produced some great championships and some great champions: Martin Kaymer and Paul Casey, who seem to have taken out a time-share on the trophy, would feature on anyone’s list of Europe’s elite golfers.


In part three of this series, Tim Maitland asked a group of European Tour golfers including Roger Morgan, Gregory Bourdy and Rory McIlroy how best to navigate holes 13-18 of the Abu Dhabi Golf Course.

Abu Dhabi Golf Course

Hole 13 Par 4 414 yards 378 metres

Roger Morgan (New Zealand)

Caddied for Sandy Lyle MBE in the 1990s, including the last big win of a great career at the Volvo Masters in 1992. More recently worked for Pelle Edberg and several other Swedes. Last season was spent with Fredrik Andersson Hed.  

It is a short par four. If you hit driver you have got to hit it over the right edge of the bunkers on the left, but they’ve added another bunker in the landing area this year to make that shot more complicated. 

You have to make sure you don’t pull it because the rough on this course can be quite severe. If you happen to push it you’re bringing the trees and more rough into play on the right-hand side.

If you hit a good drive you can go in there with a nine iron or eight iron, even a wedge sometimes, depending on the wind. 

It’s a difficult green. You have to be on the right level if you’re going to make birdies.

When the pin is on the right, it’s a very difficult green to hold – especially coming out of the rough – so you have to make sure you get on the fairway. You have to be quite specific with your judgement there. If you spin the ball too much you can leave yourself with a very difficult putt. It looks very large, the right portion of the putting surface, but your judgement has to be spot on because if you go long you leave yourself a downhill chip and short of it, you’re going to be in the trap. 

It’s quite an innocuous looking hole, but it can bite you!

The mistake you don’t want to make: Going right off the tee. There’s a footpath on the right side and if you get there, if you’re not in the thick grass, you can be in the sand and you’ve got trees to negotiate.

Hole 14 Par 4 490 yards 448 metres

Mark Mazo (USA)

Caddied for Rhys Davies’ 2010 win in Morocco. Formerly with Garrett Willis on the PGA Tour.

It’s a pretty big hole and they’ve made it even bigger this year. When we had it, it was playing straight down wind. Even first out on a Friday morning we were still hitting a three wood. Later in the day, we were hitting soft three woods.

You play the three wood, despite the holes length, simply because the tee shot plays short and the bunker (at the corner of the dogleg) comes up pretty quickly. Ideally you get it down to the right half of the fairway, just short of the right fairway bunker, and that’ll leave a mid-iron in; a five or six iron. The fairway bunker on the left extends further into the fairway now, which is interesting.

It’s a pretty accommodating green. You do have to be a bit careful to some of the pin placements – especially the one short left, because it’s very, very easy to miss the green short-left chasing that particular pin. It’s not the easiest up and down. There’s enough severity on the slopes where, if you are short-sided, it’s very difficult to get up and down.

Although the green is seemingly quite big, it’s actually quite shallow, it’s just broad. If you can get the ball to pitch in the middle of the green you’re never going to be too far away. The pins on the right side are bad to chase. The one straight at the back is probably the easiest one to get to; where you can play to the middle and it releases, great, and if it doesn’t you’ll always have 25 feet.   

The mistake you don’t want to make: Getting too aggressive on the tee when it’s playing down wind. The fairway on the right comes up pretty quick because it plays down wind and the whole fairway runs away from left to right. You don’t need too be aggressive, because it’s just a high-draw seven iron, which at that point becomes a scoring club.

Hole 15 Par 3 177 yards 162 metres

Pablo Martin (Spain)

Winner of the 2009 Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek in South Africa. Became the first amateur to win a European Tour event when he captured the 2007 Estoril Open de Portugal.

Hola! Fifteen is a great little par three and it’s a great birdie chance. You’ll be really disappointed if you don’t get a birdie on this hole. Together with 18, out of the last four holes these are the clear birdie opportunities if the wind is not blowing. 

You can go right at every flag, because you’ve got some tough holes coming up; 16 and 17 are really tough and 18 is a great risk-reward hole. 

You’re probably hitting between a nine iron and a six iron, depending on the wind and how the flag is positioned. It’s a calculated risk, but it’s a clear option for a birdie. It’s a par three and every par three you’re happy with par, but this one you’re looking more for a birdie than a bogey.

It’s a tricky green. You definitely need to hit it close from the tee, because you can get some funny putts with a lot of break in them.

The mistake you don’t want to make: Short-siding yourself. If the flag is long and you’re over, then you’ve got a really tough up and down. Anything long on that green is not good.

Hole 16 Par 4 475 yards 434 metres

Gregory Bourdy (France)

Winner of the 2009 UBS Hong Kong Open, the 2008 Estoril Open de Portugal and the 2007 Mallorca Classic.

This one and the two holes after, they are very exciting! It’s a very good finish.  16 is a tough hole. We need to use driver or three wood; for me it’s a driver because it’s a long hole.  We need to drive between the two bunkers, one on the right and one on the left. Then we still have a long shot to reach the green! Depends on the wind, but it something like a five iron. 

You’ll see guys in among the trees. It’s not really tight – the fairway is quite large actually – but we like to cut the corner a little bit to get a shorter second shot. Sometimes we get too greedy and out the ball in the trees, the bunker or the rough. 

It’s important not to be too far from the hole. It’s quite a huge green with some hills, not big, but you can still have a difficult putt, so it’s better to stay close to the pin. 

The mistake you don’t want to make: If you miss with your driver it’s a very tough hole. The mistake is to be in the trees, the bunker or the rough.

Hole 17 Par 4 483 yards 441 metres

Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland)

Won the 2010 Quail Hollow Championship three days short of his 21st birthday to become youngest PGA Tour winner since Tiger Woods in 1996. Winner of the 2009 Dubai Desert Classic. Member of Europe’s 2010 Ryder Cup-winning team.

It’s a pretty long par four, over 480 yards, and it usually plays into the wind. You’re usually trying to hit it just to the right of the fairway bunkers, maybe hitting it 280 up there because it’s usually into the wind. You’re leaving yourself something like a mid- to long-iron into the green. Last year I was probably hitting six and seven irons in there and it’s a pretty flat green.

The toughest pin position is the one on the front right, which is guarded by the front-right bunker. 

When the wind drops you can get it up there and leave yourself with a short iron and then if the pin is anywhere on the left side of the green it is quite a good birdie chance.

Otherwise it’s a tough hole: 16 and 17 are holes where you’re just trying to make par and hope to pick one up at the last. 

The mistake you don’t want to make: I remember last year I birdied it on the last day to give myself a chance, so I have fond memories of this hole. Making birdie to be just one behind made a big difference. It was big for me, definitely! It’s definitely a deciding factor in who is going to win this tournament.

Hole 18 Par 5 557 yards 509 metres

Matteo Manassero (Italy)

Won the 2010 Castello Masters near Valencia, Spain at 17 years and 188 days to become the youngest winner in the history of the European Tour. Also broke the legendary Seve Ballesteros' record as the youngest-ever full European Tour member.

Ciao! Bongiorno! This is a very good par five, because if you’re long you have to hit the first straight and well. If you’re not that long, the lay-up is not that easy and the second shot gets complicated.

For the long hitters the eighteenth can be a reachable hole. The first shot can be very tricky because you’ve got water and wasteland on the right and usually you’ve got thick rough on the left and a bunker.

I’m not one of the big hitters so my line is always just to the right-hand side of the bunker; on that line I’m never going to run out into the bunker or rough. That gives me 230 or 240 metres to the green. That’s not reachable for me. So the lay-up, the big bunker on the right is the direction for the lay-up. 

We’ll aim at the centre/right-side of that trap with either a rescue or a four iron to keep between 70 and 55 metres and leave that big right-hand bunker out of play.

Then we’ve got a third shot which can change a lot because the green is 50 meters long. Usually there are two flags on the front and two flags on the back, which makes a lot of difference; it can be a wedge or a little 58 [degree wedge]. It’s difficult to get the distance right. It’s a very good hole, a very good hole.

The mistake you don’t want to make: Not so much mistake, but this hole is different for the long hitters. I remember Alvaro [Quiros], the superstar, last year being over 280 metres off the tee, finishing just before the water. The water and the bunker comes much more into play for the long hitters. It’s a more tricky first short, but then they have a second shot to quite a wide green. That makes the hole easy for them, but they have to be very precise with the first shot. 

Abu Dhabi Golf Club - 18th Hole

Thanks again to Tim Maitland for his interview of European Tour Golfers for the 2011 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship!



photo credits: Getty Images/Tim Maitland


How to negotiate holes 1-12 of the Abu Dhabi Golf Club can be seen on the Golf for Beginners blog:
2011 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship Holes 1-6
2011 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship Holes 7-12




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Has European Tour golf won out over the PGA Tour?

In what is considered by some to be a snub to America, Rory McIlroy recently declined PGA Tour membership for the upcoming 2011 season joining Martin Kaymer and Lee Westwood as staunch supporters of the European Tour.

“The two best players in the world at the moment are not going to join the US Tour next year,” said McIlroy, number nine in the world. “It's a great time for European golf.”

Both Westwood and McIlroy have voiced concerns about a long PGA Tour schedule with few breaks in between events and the idea that their golf careers should not be solely about money.

The PGA Tour further ostracized Euro Tour golfers recently with its offer of a three-year exemption to the winner of a WGC event in China  only if that golfer is a member of an American Tour!

McIlroy recently said, "The FedEx Cup is only about money and you shouldn't just be going over to play thinking about how much you can make. I needed a break after the USPGA [In August], but had only one week. There is no flexibility in your schedule as the FedEx forces you to appear at those events. I didn't like that.”

Is money even a consideration for the two Euro Tour golfers, now atop the money list, or have they become sated and more interested in enjoying a less grueling schedule? With many of the top competitors now in Europe (seven Euro Tour players won eight 2010 PGA Tour events) and purses growing, it makes sense for many Euro Tour golfers to support their own events.

As a note, career earnings for Lee Westwood to date on the PGA Tour (from Yahoo! Sports) is a staggering $28.5 million dollars. Rory McIlroy's career earnings are a more conservative $8 million to date with $2 million won this year as a result of his win at the Quail Hollow Championship.

I agree with McIlroy that money can't buy happiness, but it can offer a comfortable lifestyle for you and your family! That being said, with the European Tour requirement to compete in thirteen events in 2011 and the PGA Tour needing fifteen events in order to retain a card, both Tours are forcing a choice to be made by the golfers, and more professional golfers are leaning towards the European Tour.

Ian Poulter is torn between keeping his PGA and Euro Tour cards, "I have a house over in the States and my family is well settled over there, but then you can't deny playing two tours is becoming increasingly difficult, especially with the European Tour number you have to play going up."

Graeme McDowell, winner of the 2010 U.S. Open, is expected to join the PGA Tour in 2011 to "give it a go" but has also expressed concern about the FedEx Cup playoff schedule.

"I'd like to try the FedEx[Cup] Playoffs, although I wasn't particularly impressed by the format this year. ... But I certainly do want to go out and play a little bit more golf out there." McDowell attempted to join the PGA Tour after his win at the U.S. Open but didn't qualify, finishing 197th in points.

If the winner of the U.S. Open can't qualify for a PGA Tour card, perhaps that is yet another signal for Europeans to back away from the the tour.

Even Phil Mickelson has decided to play his first event of 2011 out of the States in January at the Abu Dhabi Championship. But, I think for Phil the enticement IS the money and the chance to get out of playing at the five-day Bob Hope event.

Perhaps it's time for the PGA and Euro Tours to join forces, tightening up both entities but maintaining their distinct identities. Golfers seem to want to play in both Tours but are forced to choose one over the other. Instead, oust tournaments without sponsors, give "crybabies" a rest but make all golfers sign on to certain events so that all tournaments have A, B and C-list players covered. European Tour golfers are speaking up, but its up to the PGA Tour to listen.

Maybe my thoughts are a bit too Utopian  ... "kindness and good-nature unite men more effectually and with greater strength than any agreements whatsoever." Sir Thomas More

 
The new and improved PGA European Tour? (credit)


Joining forces does have its considerations: for one thing, it wouldn't be "Us against Them" Anymore. Where would we be without the Ryder Cup?

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